


growing up is hard

by gardenjays



Series: candy and comic books [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, listen the show is terrible at letting Jay and Lloyd have bonding time so I'll write it myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24379264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gardenjays/pseuds/gardenjays
Summary: “What’s wrong?” Jay sat up carefully, slouching a little so he wouldn’t hit his head on Cole’s bunk above him. “Anything I can help with?”Lloyd rolled over so they were facing each other. “I doubt it. Just, uh...growing pains. That’s all.”***aka Lloyd has some growing pains after his sudden growth spurt (after episode 18)
Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon & Jay Walker
Series: candy and comic books [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760353
Comments: 13
Kudos: 88





	growing up is hard

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends, sorry I'm interrupting the ghost fic to post something new(ish). the next chapter of aquaphobia is coming along nicely but I found this little fic in the deep recesses of my old laptop when I was looking for any other ninjago fics to repost from my old accounts, and I realized I'd never actually posted this one!
> 
> anyway I originally wrote this a few years ago, not sure exactly when since I was dumb and never posted it, but I've always had some pretty strong feelings about Lloyd and Jay being bros, especially since they don't get a whole lot of this kind of interaction in the show. so here we are. there are a few more in this series and I'll post them as well at some point!
> 
> okay enough of me chatting. enjoy!

The noises had begun only a few minutes after the room was completely silent. Everyone was supposed to be sleeping by now, but there was shuffling and shifting and constant movement from one of the beds. The stillness would last no more than a few seconds between each noise, and it felt like they were getting louder as the night dragged on. But it didn’t sound like it was coming from Kai or Cole or Zane. It was coming from the middle of the room, where Lloyd was supposed to be sleeping on an air mattress until they got an actual bed for him. Now that he was older, bigger at least, Sensei Wu figured he could move into their room. But he was new to this room, and he didn’t know yet about the other ninjas’ patterns, and he didn’t know that it always took longer for Jay to get to sleep at night, especially after an adrenaline-filled day like this one.

“Lloyd? Is that you?”

The shuffling stopped. A few seconds later, there was a timid reply. “Yeah.”

Jay had almost forgotten already how low Lloyd’s voice had suddenly gotten. Only a few hours ago he’d had the body of a little kid, and now his voice was deeper than Jay’s. Not that Jay was jealous or anything. He wasn’t jealous.

“Are you okay?”

Again it was a few seconds before he heard a reply. “Not really.”

“What’s wrong?” Jay sat up carefully, slouching a little so he wouldn’t hit his head on Cole’s bunk above him. “Anything I can help with?”

Lloyd rolled over so they were facing each other. “I doubt it. Just, uh...growing pains. That’s all.”

Jay nodded a little. From the hesitation in Lloyd’s voice, it sounded like more than just physical pain. “You sure I can’t do anything to help? Or are you usually this fidgety when you sleep?”

He heard a sigh. “Really, Jay. I’m fine. All of my joints hurt and I feel like my throat is on fire, but I’m fine. Just getting used to this.”

Without waiting to hear more, Jay slipped silently out of bed and crept over to the sink in the bathroom that was connected to their room. He waited a few seconds for the tap water to get cold, then he filled a cup and gave it to Lloyd, sitting on the floor next to the air mattress. At first Lloyd seemed hesitant, but he took the glass and drank the whole thing in one go. Jay smiled.

“See, I knew I could help somehow.”

Lloyd gave him just the teensiest hint of a smile as he sat up the rest of the way. “Everything else still hurts though.”

“I can get you an ice pack.”

“No, no. Don’t worry about it. Seriously, I’ve had enough people worrying about me these past few days. I’m sick of being stuck on this dumb ship with nothing to do but train.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “But now that I’m older, I can go out and join you guys, right?”

Jay hesitated. “I don’t know. You’re still...you’re still the chosen one. You’re really important, and I don’t think anyone wants you in any sort of danger.”

“But you guys always come back from your missions just fine! I want to help!”

“Shh.” Jay pulled himself up onto the mattress and slouched a little bit so that he hid most of his face behind his knees. “Look, if it was up to me, I’d take you with us every time. And not just because you’re a ninja and you deserve it, but because you need the practice. Sure your training is going well and all, but you really need to actually get out there and know what it feels like to fight bad guys and stuff. I agree it’s totally not fair to keep you cooped up here. But that’s just the way it has to be, I guess.”

Lloyd was silent. He fiddled with the empty cup in his hands, turning it over and over and running his fingers around the rim. “I just wish it could be different,” he mumbled at long last.

“Uh, last I recall, we told you not to throw the magic time tea at the dinosaur. But you did it anyway, so that’s on you.”

“No, not about that.” Lloyd said, a bit louder. “I meant about facing my dad. Actually, I’m fine with not being little anymore since it’ll help me fight better. I mean, I still feel like a little kid, just in a big body.”

“You still feel like a kid?”

Lloyd stared at his blankets and shrugged. “I don’t really feel like I changed inside. Just outside. Yeah, I’m bigger, but.” He paused and looked at Jay very seriously, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

Jay nodded. “I promise.”

“I’m trying to make myself think different, but it doesn’t work. I still want to read that comic book and I really, really,  _ really  _ wish I had accepted it. And I still want to wake up and play video games tomorrow morning before you guys wake up like I used to do. And I really, really want some candy right about now. But I know I can’t do that stuff anymore. It was bad enough having so much responsibility before, but I don’t think my mind is going to catch up to my body anytime soon.”

Trying not to giggle, Jay took the glass from Lloyd. “Well if it makes you feel any better, I still sleep with a stuffed animal, and in case you haven’t noticed, cotton candy is pretty much my favorite food. Trust me, I get a lot of ridicule from the other guys, but that’s not gonna stop me from living my best life.”

“Well now I guess we can get ridiculed together.”

“Maybe. But maybe you could just keep living out your childhood while the rest of us are out on missions, and no one will know. They’ll see you as super mature while I’m still around anyway.”

Lloyd laughed quietly. “I guess that makes sense. But last I checked, we don’t have any candy lying around, and I know for a fact that I don’t have the newest issue of Starfarer.”

Jay smirked. “Really? You’re absolutely sure?”

“Don’t tell me you went back for it.”

“I might have.”

Lloyd’s eyes grew wide. “Seriously?”

“I had a feeling you might change your mind about it,” Jay said with a shrug. “Plus after listening to all that sci-fi stuff you were spouting out all day, I’m kind of curious and I was planning on reading it myself.”

“Well you can’t start there!” Lloyd started, but Jay had to shush him again so the other three wouldn’t wake up. “You have to start at the beginning. Come on, I left all of my old comics back in Uncle Wu’s room. We can sneak in and get them so you can read those while I read the new one.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jay said happily. “Plus I know where Cole hid all the good chocolates.”

Lloyd gasped quietly. “Jay, I owe you my life.”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry no social media to plug, unless you are so inclined to follow my kpop stan twitter account haha


End file.
